Engineering monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 prophylaxis

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Monoclonal antibodies (mABs) are crucial for treating and preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections.
• Current mAB therapies face limitations including short half-life and requirement for intravenous administration.
• These limitations hinder widespread prophylactic and therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a neutralizing monoclonal antibody cocktail against SARS-CoV-2 with an extended half-life.
• To evaluate the efficacy of intramuscular delivery for prophylactic protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Main Methods:

• Engineering of a neutralizing mAB cocktail.
• Modification to extend the half-life of the antibodies.
• Intramuscular administration in a preclinical animal model (rhesus macaques).

Main Results:

• Successful engineering of a neutralizing mAB cocktail against SARS-CoV-2.
• Demonstrated extended half-life of the engineered mAB cocktail.
• Achieved prophylactic protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection following intramuscular delivery in rhesus macaques.

Conclusions:

• Engineered monoclonal antibodies offer a promising strategy for extended-duration, intramuscular SARS-CoV-2 prophylaxis.
• Overcoming delivery and half-life limitations can enhance the utility of antibody-based COVID-19 prevention.
• This approach may represent a significant advancement in infectious disease prevention strategies.